JAWBONE UP24

For

• Wireless syncing added
• Stylish and lightweight
• Very soft rubber for comfort
• iOS and Android compatible

The smart and sporty Jawbone Up24 is the most fashionable, lightweight and comfortable fitness tracking wearable you can buy, and it has a beautiful app to match. Its activity and sleep tracking internals are also just about as brainy as the Fitbit Force and Nike FuelBand SE.

Some functionality is sacrificed in the name of vanity. There's no display on the device itself for on-demand workout stats or a web-based portal to chart the quantified self data it silently collects. All metrics have to be synced to an iOS or, as of this month, an Android app.

• Buy Jawbone UP24 Sleep/Activity Monitor at TigerDirect for $149.99

The good news is that Jawbone Up24 is able to wirelessly sync these accurate step and sleep quality numbers through Bluetooth. This is a major improvement over the original Jawbone Up transfer method that required physically plugging in the device for each and every upload.

Now, as the Jawbone Up24 name suggests, this new version can truly be worn 24 hours a day without the need to take it off between syncs. Combined with the 3.0 version of its colorful app and newly released Android support, this is one of the top wellness motivators, unless of course you own a Windows Phone 8 or other non-compatible device.

  

Design

The flexible Jawbone Up24 bracelet is coated with the same incredibly smooth non-latex rubber as its nearly identically designed predecessor. The company goes out of its way to say that this silky material is medical-grade and hypoallergenic, meaning it won't give you a nasty rash like the recently recalled Fitbit Force.

Beneath this rubber layer, the bracelet has a spring-steel inner-core that gives it that deformation-resistant elasticity. Its solid design ends up being less malleable than the Fitbit Force wristband, but it's even softer to the touch on the outside, an important feature for any wearable meant to be worn 24/7. Eye-catching OLED displays, the full gamut of metrics and colorful apps might turn heads, but any wrist-worn gadget has to be comfortable for these extras to be worth it.

Against

• No display for on-demand stats
• Doesn't have a web app
• Works with just 10 Android phones
• 2.5mm stereo jack for charging